The present invention relates generally to roller skis adapted to simulate the balance and motion characteristics of downhill snow skiing.
The present invention permits the use of roller or wheeled skis to learn and practice maneuvers that closely simulate those of downhill snow skiing. Devices in the prior art do not allow simulation of turning and sliding to the same degree as accomplished on snow skis. The extent to which a roller ski device resembles snow skiing depends on its ability to slide or sideslip, brake and turn in a way that allows these maneuvers to be done simultaneously.
Various land skis have skateboard-like rollers for the purpose of turning by tilting the ski. Other patents provide pivoting caster rollers or wheels to allow sliding. However, the combination of these two functional aspects in the prior art do not permit the user to accomplish controlled turning and sliding simultaneously when a turning maneuver simulates the edging aspect of a snow ski turn. For example, Milliman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,706 utilizes the caster wheel that provides limited turning ability in addition to sliding. In another instance, Shimizu, U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,187, provides a skateboard-like and caster wheel assembly to accomplish turning. However, in this case, the caster wheel does not bring about sliding while other wheels are also in contact with the ski surface.
Ball-type rollers are shown to allow sideslipping or sliding. Tyson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,951, provides multi-directional motion with limited control of turning by pivoting the ski on rollers and linear tracking in a longitudinal direction of the ski on a fixed wheel base in a very similar manner as does Milliman (cited above).
Other roller applications of land skiing involve the use of tapered wheels attached to a cambered snow ski as illustrated by Dickert, U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,900 and Mangus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,796. These devices allow turning by tilting and bowing of the ski; however, sliding cannot be accomplished to the same degree with a fixed roller or wheel as with a pivoting one.